Lots of news to catch up on this week from the App Store. So come have a look, iPhone folks, at what you may have missed on Giz this week, in addition to a few of our picks for new apps of the last seven days as always. We're excited first and foremost that Fring, a great multi-service IM and VoIP app, has just made it into the App Store (not even in the search index yet). Good thing, because the rest of this week's pics skew a bit toward the wacky side. But sometimes your weekend just needs a little wahh wahhhh...crickets...crickets....

Fring: Fring was my favorite IM app back in the jailbreak days, and now it's finally available in the App Store proper, tying together into one app Google Talk, AIM, Skype, MSN, Twitter-just about every IM or IM-like client you can think of, as well as adding VoIP calling when you're connected via Wi-Fi (and not 3G, even though the grab above shows a 3G icon during call). And unlike another recent and solid IM app Beejive (which is $16), Fring is free. Give it a whirl. [via Mobility Today]

Spectrograph Wallpaper: Takes input from the iPhone's mic (or your second-gen iPod touch with microphone-equipped earbuds) and gives you a neat looking spectrograph analysis in a variety of colors, which you can then export directly to your phone's wallpaper. What does a fart look like? Find out for $3.

Rimshot/Cricket Generator: Two classic sound effects, one app! Rimshot for the good jokes, and crickets for the rough ones (watch for Burns's cricket poison). If you ever see this being put to use by anyone claiming to be any kind of comedian real or imagined, chug your drink and leave immediately. Free.

10 Seconds Ago: I'm just going to let the developers explain this one for you:

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It does "delay" the incoming sound via microphone by 10 seconds. This gap between the scenery you are currently looking at and the sound you here may give you strange feeling of passing time. You'll find yourself a bit more conscious about the ambient sound in our daily life.

Yes, it's Japanese, in case you were wondering. And free.

Sad Trombone: Maybe this should be a sign that it's about time to wrap it up for the week and get some rest, but the existence of "Sad Trombone" (whaa whaa) made me laugh out loud. Which in itself is a great moment for a sad trombone effect. The irony! $1 This week's iPhone app coverage on Giz: •Barack Obama's official iPhone app does all kinds of grassroots organizing goodness. •iPhone-Backgrounder (for jailbreak) gives all apps, even legit ones from the App Store, the much-desired ability to run in the background. •Flash on the iPhone is hinted at again by the Adobe folks, but progress is still slow waiting for Apple approval. •Facebook's redesigned now has a shiny new redesigned iPhone app to go along with it. •Tap Tap Revenge will feature NIN songs after an official licensing agreement between the developers and Apple-loving Mr. Reznor. •We gave Star Wars: The Force Unleashed a hands-on look. •Microsoft (via subsidiary Tellme, but still) plans to develop an iPhone app for voice-recognition searches. •Excellent news, this: gone are the "looks cool" app reviews in iTunes, because it is now mandatory that you actually own an app you're going to review. What a concept! •Heart Monitor measures your pulse with the iPhone's microphone.